


Deadlocked

by americaninja



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, a bunch of original characters i pulled out of nowhere, i made them to fill the story please bear with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 04:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8607037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americaninja/pseuds/americaninja
Summary: After Winston's recall, McCree, Tracer, and Genji go to Deadlock Gorge on Route 66 to deal with a problem. While there, McCree comes face to face with his past.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is the first fic I've posted online in years, so bear with me. I hope you like it!

They sneaked in through the kitchen’s back door, which was unlocked. The fryer was still bubbling, the burger grill still sizzling, the freezer door still open. McCree switched off the fryer and grill while Tracer closed the freezer door and Genji closed the kitchen door behind him.

“Where did they go?” Tracer said, glancing around at the small, slightly dirty kitchen.

“Dunno. They must have heard we were coming and bolted. I’m sure we’ll run into them later,” McCree said. They pushed through the kitchen doors into the dining area. It, too, was empty, frozen in time, as if everyone there had vanished as quickly as one might blink. Papers covered the tables and floor, and half-eaten hamburgers sat on the tables that were not occupied by stacks of intel.

Genji snatched a piece of paper covered in sloppy handwriting off the floor and read aloud: “Train schedule. 5:25 a.m., passenger train bound for Williams, Arizona. 7:30 a.m., cargo train bound for Winslow, Arizona. 9:55 a.m., military train bound for Albuquerque, New Mexico. 12:35 p.m., cargo train bound for Barstow, California... This schedule is dated for June 16th. That’s… today.” He glanced at the clock, which read 1:30 p.m. “Does this mean anything to you, McCree?”

McCree opened his mouth when Tracer, who had moved to the front doors when no one was paying attention, cried “G-Guys! Look!”

The men rushed to the doors to find Tracer looking out, her eyes wide and her hands covering her open mouth. Genji sucked in a startled breath. “What happened here?” he whispered.

The view was awash in the oranges and yellows of flame. Train cars, painted military green, were strewn around the canyon. Looking up, they could see part of the burning train dangling precariously from the edge of the bridge – an edge that had certainly not been there before. A few other cars rested on the other side of the bridge. Tall steel supports, twisted and melted, littered the ground, and bridge timber burned alongside the train cars.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” McCree murmured. Tracer and Genji turned to him, shocked at his seemingly calm and resigned reaction.

“They really did it.”

_Jesse, Arroyo, and Daniela peered out from behind a rock and felt the gust of air as the train passed in a blur of red, green, and blue cargo crates. The crates were all stamped with the logos of various companies and organizations – Overwatch, Vishkar, LumeriCo, Lucheng, and more. When the train passed, the three rushed out from their hiding place, Jesse whistling as he ran to summon more Deadlock Gang members. Jesse watched as the train vanished into the distance.  
Daniela pulled a paper from her pocket. “Okay, the military train comes in about two hours. We need to have everything in place by then. Hey, Marcus, what’s the forecast for today?” she asked as Marcus, who was carrying a box of tools and wires, passed by._

_“There’s a twenty five percent chance of thunderstorms,” he responded without looking at her. He set down the box and started pulling stuff out. Liliana arrived with her own box and started rooting through it._

_“Twenty five percent? Sounds risky to me,” Arroyo said. “Maybe we should postpone. Wait till there’s a zero percent chance.”_

_Jesse rolled his eyes. “Arroyo, it’s the middle of monsoon season. We don’t have time to wait. If we want those supplies, it’s now or never. Now help us set up.”_

_Arroyo sighed loudly, but he knelt down next to Liliana and started unpacking the detonators._

McCree, Tracer, and Genji pushed through the doors, McCree leading the way as he swept about, looking through the fallen cars. “Nothing. They've all been emptied.”

“Was this the Deadlock Gang?” Tracer asked as she stomped out a small fire.

“Of course it was. This place has been abandoned by the normal folks for ages. You don’t come to Deadlock Gorge unless you’re a Deadlock or you have a death wish,” McCree snapped.

“So where are they now? And what was in this train that they wanted so badly?” Genji asked.

“I don’t know what they got. But I know where they are now. Follow me.” With that, McCree drew his revolver and took off down the road. Tracer and Genji hesitated for a moment before taking off, blinking and leaping as they went.

Running past the gas station, up the canyon path, past the Cave of Mystery, towards the motorcycle bar, McCree could feel his past rushing back. This gorge hadn't changed in the slightest since he had left at Gabriel Reyes’s side and never looked back. Every second he stayed in this hellish, sun-parched ravine was bringing back more and more memories. He didn't want to remember, but he didn't have a choice. 

_“Where are my charges?” Marcus snapped._

_“Hold on, I’m coming!” Dallas yelled from the other side of the area. He grabbed a pair of bundles tightly packed with explosives and rushed to Marcus’s side. Marcus handed one to Liliana and took the other. They started wiring the detonators to the charges. Dallas returned to his box of charges and started wiring them. Inigo ran to Dallas to help._

_Arroyo glanced up from his box at the graying sky. “It’s getting kinda dark, if you ask me. Maybe we should pack up. Wait till tomorrow. We don’t want to waste these charges.”_

_Jesse groaned aloud. “Quit your bellyaching, man. It’ll be fine. God, can’t you just shut up and help?”_

_The teens glared at each other until Daniela snapped her fingers. “Both of you, get back to work! We’ve only got an hour until the train arrives, and we need these charges in place and ready to detonate soon. Get going!”_

_Arroyo rolled his eyes at Daniela, pushed Jesse’s hat down over his eyes, and adjusted his position so he was a little further away from Jesse. Jesse smacked Arroyo’s shoulder and went back to work. His hands moved swiftly as he connected the charges to the detonators and wired them tightly. He glanced over at Arroyo, who moved slowly, like his hands were made of lead. Jesse grunted in frustration and focused on his own work_

_“My charges are ready!” Inigo yelled._

_“Okay, good! Inigo, go with Xavier and attach the charges at the far end of the bridge,” Daniela called back._

_Jesse watched as Inigo and Xavier cautiously scurried across the bridge to start attaching the explosives to the sides of the bridge. After a few minutes, they returned to the work area, pulling the wired detonators carefully along with them. After they placed the detonators behind a large rock, Dallas accompanied Xavier to place his own charges._

_“Forty minutes till the train arrives!” Daniela yelled._

_Arroyo looked up to see lightning flash in the far distance._

McCree, Tracer, and Genji hid in the second floor of the motorcycle bar, peering through the window. There were four Deadlock members patrolling the area, two on the ground and two on the catwalk-like protrusions jutting out from the rock.

“How are we going to do this?” Tracer hissed.

“We need a distraction. Lure them to the other side of this building, then we’ll get them before they can call for backup from inside,” McCree replied.

“Got it,” Tracer said, grinning.

While one of the guards on the catwalks had his back turned, Tracer blinked towards him, tapped him on the back, and blinked away to the ground as soon as they made eye contact. “Hey!” the guard blurted, running after her.

Seeing that one of the guards had run, the guards on the ground chased him. The other guard on the catwalk remained at his post. McCree bolted towards the guard while Genji headed towards the guards Tracer had distracted. The guard jumped when he saw McCree and reached for his walkie-talkie with one hand while reaching for his gun with the other. McCree leapt forward and snatched the walkie-talkie out of his hand, smashing it against the wall. He grabbed the guard in a stranglehold. “Lights out, buddy,” he said through gritted teeth as he squeezed tighter. The guard’s eyes rolled back in his head. McCree let him go as he flopped to the ground, unconscious.

McCree ran along the catwalk to check on Tracer and Genji, who were outside the motorcycle bar. “Y’all finished?”

“Yep!” Tracer chirped, looking down at the three knocked-out Deadlocks.

“Alright, let’s get a move on!”

_“Five minutes to arrival! WHERE ARE THOSE LAST CHARGES?” Daniela roared. She turned to face Jesse. “Jesse! Where are they? We need them right now!”_

_“Don’t ask me! Arroyo’s the one who’s in charge of them!” Jesse snapped back._

_Daniela turned wildly, searching for Arroyo, when suddenly a massive clap of thunder echoed throughout the canyon. Rain came crashing down, instantly drenching every single person. Arroyo came striding out of one of the Deadlock-created tunnels with an umbrella over his head and a smirk on his face. “I told you,” he said, positively singing with glee._

_Daniela’s face turned red. “Excuse me? What the hell does that mean?”_

_“Exactly what you think it means. I told you. I told you we should wait until there was no chance of rain. And now, look. All this work. For nothing. All these explosives are useless. What a waste. But hey, that’s not my problem. After all, if you had listened to me, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Arroyo shrugged, a wide grin spreading over his face. He turned and darted into the tunnel like a man on fire._

_“Where’s he going?” Daniela hissed._

_Inigo turned to the bridge. His eyes widened and he gasped. “GUYS! THE TRAIN’S COMING! HIDE!”_

_Sure enough, the military train they had been waiting two hours for was rounding the bend and hurtling towards them. Daniela shrieked and flung herself behind a rock. Jesse, Liliana, and Marcus followed suit, crouching behind the same rock._

_The train zoomed by, emitting a loud horn blast as it did. Had they been seen? Jesse clutched his hat tightly, fearfully. The rain continued to fall, soaking him to the bone._

McCree carefully led Tracer and Genji through the warehouse, moving slowly and quietly, keeping a careful watch for Deadlocks. As they crept along, they passed a Deadlock Gang logo stenciled on the wall. McCree couldn’t help but reach out and brush it with his hand as he passed it.

They hurried along until they came upon a truck, which they climbed into. McCree cautiously peered over the edge and found what they had been looking for – a giant pile of military-grade weapons, surrounding a massive bomb. Two men were rifling through the guns. “Found the motherload,” he whispered.

Tracer and Genji followed his gaze. “Wow,” Genji said. “How are we going to recover all of this?”

“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” McCree sighed. “That bomb is the most important thing. They absolutely cannot be allowed to have it. If we can get even a few of the smaller weapons out along with it, all the better, but we need to focus on the bomb. One of us will have to drive it out the warehouse doors while the others deal with the gang. Tracer, start by scouting for hostiles.”

“Got it,” she said, with a wink and a salute. She blinked her way around the room and was back before either McCree or Genji could register what she had done. “Okay, so there are two on the catwalks, two in each doorway, and the two down there. Not too bad.”

“That’s true, but there could be more we can’t see in the back rooms,” Genji warned.

“Precisely. Caution is the key here. Tracer, would you like to drive the bomb?” McCree asked.

“Would I!” she whispered, a little too loudly. One of the guards turned her head. The three of them dropped down to the bed of the truck. Unfortunately, since Genji was made almost entirely of metal, he clanged loudly against the truck.

“Intruders!” the guard yelled. She pulled her pistol out and ran towards the truck. The others leapt up and followed.

“Guess we’re doing this the hard way!” McCree yelled, leaping over the side of the truck, rolling into the landing. Tracer blinked down to the bomb and quickly punched out one of the men. She twirled around and fired at the other man’s legs, and he collapsed with a cry of pain. “Genji! Backup!” she yelled.

“On it!” he yelled back, leaping down and flinging a burst of three shuriken at a guard. She dodged two of them, but was hit by the third. The guard shrieked and crumpled in a heap.

McCree exchanged fire with one of the guards. Both men dodged the other’s shots. Irritated, McCree grabbed a flashbang and flung it at the guard. A blinding light filled the room, and the guard fell down. “Move, move, move!” McCree snapped, whipping around to face Tracer.

“I’m getting there, I’m getting there! Genji, gimme a hand here!” she cried, grabbing some of the guns and piling them on the bomb. Genji ran to the controls and pressed a few buttons. The bomb’s hover wheels lit up and moved into place, raising the bomb off the ground. All three leapt onto the bomb, with Genji on controls. They floated slowly through the warehouse, looking out for enemies, when Tracer suddenly blurted “I want to drive!”

Genji sighed. “Sure. Whatever.” He stepped back and let her take over. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she pressed buttons. The bomb started to move slightly faster. Then she looked up. “Why aren’t the doors opening?”

McCree swore violently and leapt off the bomb. He ran to the door’s control panel and studied it. Was the code the same as it was when he was still part of the gang?

No. He didn’t want to try and remember. He grabbed Peacekeeper and fired into the panel, which exploded in a burst of sparks and smoke. Miraculously, the doors creaked and shrieked open. He ran back to the bomb and yelled “Step on it!”

Tracer cackled and pressed one of the buttons. The bomb accelerated out the doors. McCree and Genji turned around to watch for attackers from behind. Hardly a moment passed before more Deadlocks came rushing out, yelling furiously.

One of them pulled down the bandana covering the lower half of his face as he ran and yelled “Stop right there!”

McCree sucked in a breath. His hand hesitated over his holster as he looked at the man’s face. He looked. He recognized. He realized.

“Arroyo?”

_The drenched Deadlocks waited in two separate lines for the showers. Jesse shivered furiously, squeezing the water out of his hat in the hopes of distracting himself. Arroyo, mostly dry but still smelling of rain, strode up to him. “So how was your day, Jesse?”_

_“Go away,” Jesse hissed. “I’m really not in the mood to talk to your stupid ass right now.”_

_Arroyo grinned. He reached out and tousled Jesse’s wet hair. “Oh, wait. You’re still all wet. Gross.” He flicked his wet hand at Jesse’s face and chuckled when the boy flinched._

_Jesse felt his rage finally boil over. For three years now, he had been dealing with Arroyo, and he was sick of it. “What’s your deal, Arroyo? Why are you always like this? Always so convinced you’re in the right, always holding yourself above everyone else. Even if you are right sometimes, that’s not an excuse to act how you do! You’re so smug, so over-confident. How would you like it if I acted like you? Started running about and bossing people around like you? How would you feel? How would you feel if I started acting like the JACKASS YOU REALLY ARE?!”_

_The entire room fell silent. All eyes were on Jesse. He could feel their gazes burning into his skin. He swallowed nervously and crammed his hat on his head before storming away. “Didn’t want to take a shower anyway,” he grumbled to himself._

_Later, as Jesse was climbing into his bed, Arroyo and Daniela came to his bedside. Daniela’s hand was clamped down on the boy’s shoulder. “Well? Speak up,” she said, glaring at Arroyo._

_Arroyo cleared his throat. “Sorry about earlier. You have a point. I can be a little… aw, do I really have to say it?” He looked up at Daniela, pleading silently with her. She gave him the death glare that all Deadlocks knew and feared._

_Sufficiently frightened, Arroyo sighed and turned back to Jesse. “So, yeah. I can be a little… I can be a jackass sometimes. I’m sorry. Friends?” He held out his hand to Jesse._

_Jesse stared at the hand for a moment. He scoffed, lay down, and turned away. “Maybe tomorrow.”_

_The next day, Overwatch busted the gang in a sting operation. The warehouse was raided, cleaned out top to bottom by the agents. Everyone who hadn’t managed to flee was arrested._

_Gabriel Reyes found Jesse McCree cowering in a corner, shaking fearfully, pressing his hat tightly to his head as if trying to block out the sights and sounds of the world. He knelt at the kid’s side. “Hey. Hey. Kid. You alright?”  
Jesse locked eyes with Reyes, screeched in fear, and lashed out, nearly hitting Reyes in the face. He scrambled backwards, searching the ground for a stray gun. Seeing a gray six-shot revolver, he grabbed it and pointed it at the Overwatch agent. “S-s-stay back! I-I’ll shoot, I s-swear!”_

_Reyes was so stunned, he laughed aloud. “Cool it, kid. I’m not gonna hurt you. Come quietly, and there won’t be a problem. I promise.” He holstered his shotguns and held out his hand. “Put down the gun now, son.”_

_Jesse shivered. The gun in his hands wobbled. Finally, he dropped it, gasping for breath. Tears started to well in his eyes._

_Reyes noticed and sighed to himself. He gently took Jesse by the hand. “C’mon, kid. It’ll be fine, I promise.” He led the child out to the ship he and the rest of the agents had arrived in. Through his tears, Jesse saw some of his fellow gang members – Liliana, Marcus, Dallas, Inigo, Xavier…_

_“Where’s Arroyo and Daniela?” he blurted._

_“Who?” Reyes said, not looking down._

_“Arroyo? Daniela? My, um…” The word ‘friends’ stuck in his throat. “Never mind.”_

“You really did escape that day, huh? Impressive,” McCree chuckled.

Arroyo held up a hand. The rest of the Deadlocks skidded to a halt. He glared at McCree as he walked quickly to keep up with the still-moving bomb, scratching at a long pink scar under his nose. “Didn’t escape completely intact, but yeah. Nice of you to sell out like that. Was it nice, being part of such a fancy organization? I’m sure it was. Did you sleep well, knowing that you betrayed your family?”

“You’re not my family. You never were. You’re a bunch of morons, and I was a fool for hanging around with you people. I can’t believe I thought being a part of the gang was a good idea.” McCree said.

Arroyo rolled his eyes. “Admit it. You have some fond memories. Remember when we used to rob banks together? Those were the days.”

McCree laughed harshly. “Oh yeah. Those were the days, alright. Robbing banks and stealing weapons. Good times. No, I do have some fond memories, but not many. Not enough to justify rotting in a maximum security prison for you. I did the right thing. As a matter of fact, why am I even talking to you? You’re my enemy. And I have things to do. Like getting this bomb out of your hands, for example.” With that, he drew Peacekeeper and fired at Arroyo.

Arroyo narrowly dodged the shot and fired back. Upon hearing gunfire, the other Deadlocks came running and shooting. McCree turned to Genji. “Call the transport! We’re leaving early!”

“What? What about the bomb? Don’t we need that?” Genji blurted.

McCree looked at the massive gate they were approaching. The large doors were sealed tight. “We don’t need it that bad.”

Genji sighed. “Fine.” He leapt off the bomb and darted up the canyon path.

“Tracer! We’re getting out of here now!” McCree yelled before jumping away.

Tracer comprehended what he was saying. “Aw, man! Fine!” She jumped off and bolted up the path with her teammates.

Arroyo realized what was happening. “Turn back! Hit the deck! I dunno, just GET AWAY!” he roared, running away from the gates as fast as he could. The confused and panicked Deadlocks followed as best as they could.

McCree, Genji, and Tracer dove into the Cave of Mystery just as a blast rocked the earth, temporarily deafening them. After a moment, they walked outside to see a black scar on the earth and small pieces of explosive fluttering down to the ground.

Arroyo pulled himself off the ground and looked around. He took a deep breath and winced as a pain in his side surged forth. “Is everyone okay?” he yelled, looking back at his friends and clutching his side. The others slowly stood up, some with their hands over their ears, some holding their shoulders or their own sides.

The sound of an airship filled the air. “Sounds like our ride’s here,” McCree said. He turned to Arroyo, who glared at him. “I’d love to stay and chat, but we have places to go. Things to do. Don’t want to hang out with you anyway.” He chuckled and started following Tracer and Genji to the ship.

“Wait!”

McCree turned. Arroyo floundered up the path after him, clutching his side and gasping for breath. “You… why did you come back? Why didn’t you just have someone else do this job?”

McCree shook his head slightly. “You’re right. I could have had one of the others take my place. I didn’t want to relive the memories that this place brought back, but I knew someday I would have to, whether I liked it or not. Why not let today be that day? I came back because I wanted to cut ties from this whole sorry scheme once and for all. If I can’t say it to the world, at least I can say to myself – I am more than my criminal past. And now, I feel… free.”

Arroyo stared blankly, absorbing McCree’s words. After hesitating for a moment, he held out his hand. “Friends? Well, not friends. But not enemies, either. How about a truce? Just between you and me?”

There was a long silence before McCree shook his head. “’Fraid I can’t take you up on that offer. I respect you for trying, but… I just can’t. Life has changed for both of us too much to repair whatever bridges we had. So thanks, but no thanks.”

Arroyo chuckled. “You sure have changed from when you were a kid.”

“You have too. Maybe for the better. I’d say see you around, but I doubt that we’ll cross paths again. Good luck, Arroyo.” With that, McCree saluted the man, whipped around, and strode away, quickly catching up with his friends.

Arroyo smirked as he turned and limped away.

“You okay, boss?” asked one of the Deadlocks.

Arroyo smirked a little.

“Yeah.”

As McCree strapped himself into his seat on the ship, Tracer glanced over at him. “You okay, Jesse?”

McCree smiled.

“Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how explosives are supposed to work. Don't get me wrong, I did look. I put "can explosives be rendered inert by rain?" into my search engine, but I didn't find really anything. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed it anyway!
> 
> As I said at the beginning, this is the first fic I've posted online in years, so polite criticism would be highly appreciated.


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